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    Wellbutrin

    So I saw my pdoc today. Told him I still have more depressed days than flatline days. (but no manic days). He says if I want, the next step would be to put me on Wellbutrin.
    Sigh. Another med.
    I was not so sure I wanted to do that. Yes I am frustrated at the lack of improvement beyond where I am at now, but I know ppl who are on so many different drugs, they can't even tell if they need them all. I don't want to become a med zombie. (No offense to anyone who has a large regiment of meds - if it is needed, then of course you have no choice). I am (once again) going to try and add exercise to my daily routine to see how much that helps my mood.
    Does anyone have personal experience with Wellbutrin?
    Good friends are like stars, you don't always see them but you know they are always there.
    BPII, DiValproex, Cipralex, Xanax

    #2
    Wellbutrin seems to be a drug that people either love or hate. A friend of mine is on it and doing much better. I tried it and went it off it before I'd even finished the first prescription (and I'm someone who usually sticks it out past the side effects to see what happens). My dad tried it and also couldn't tolerate it at all. I think you'll have to try it yourself to see if it's good for you.

    Comment


      #3
      Hello Froggie. All anti-depressants can cause mania for anyone with tendecies towards bipolar. Having said that, welbutrin has a reputation as being less likely to cause mania for people with bipolar.

      I use it for short periods of time only and I find it fairly easy to start up and more importantly I can stop instantly, which I cannot do with effexor, celaxa etc. It will cause mania for me (they all do for me), but I find that by taking it for only 6-8 wks at a time it will lift my depression enough for me to deal with it on my own.

      I also find it works very rapidly for me.

      It also does not cause the ***ual problems that some others do for me either.

      My son(bipolar) takes wellbutrin with no tendicies toward rapid cycling or even mania from it. He does have to watch that if he does start to become manic, that he remembers to quit taking it for a while. Take Care. paul m
      "Alone we can do so little;
      Together we can do so much"
      Helen Keller

      Comment


        #4
        Hello Froggie. I was re-reading your post and at the bottom you mention a list of meds. I take it those meds are the ones that you regularly take.

        Taking both cipralex and wellbutrin is really tempting the rapid cycling gods to get involved with your life. I am not saying do not try it, but discuss with your doctor an exit plan if mania does become a factor. ( its amazing the # of docs that do not know that A/D,s can cause rapid cycling)

        Cipralex in particular can take mths to wean off of and if you are in the middle of a severe manic spell its no fun when you can't turn of the source of the fuel. Take Care. paul m
        "Alone we can do so little;
        Together we can do so much"
        Helen Keller

        Comment


          #5
          Hi Paul,
          yes, i put my current meds in my sig. - it's something I used to do at another forum i was in.
          I'll discuss rapid cycling with my doc. I have had rapid cycling in my past - it was quite bad but I was not medicated at that time. I didn't know it would be easy to stop taking the wellbutrin - that's a real positive. Thanks for the information.
          Mostly though, I know all meds tend to react somewhat differently in different people - like you suggested Villastraylight.
          I took celexa for a while but not long enough to finish the first script....I developed severe lockjaw....horrible. I also was on prozac.... that was probably the worst experience of my life....I won't go into details.
          But somehow those meds work for other people.
          It's just good to hear other stories from folks here....makes all of this seem a little more human.
          Good friends are like stars, you don't always see them but you know they are always there.
          BPII, DiValproex, Cipralex, Xanax

          Comment


            #6
            I'm doing pretty well right now on a "cocktail" of effexor, seroquel and clonazapham, with a bit of epival to prevent any hypomania. However, winter is coming...the real test!

            Comment


              #7
              Hello Everyone. Just to clarify abit in case I scared anyone. Some people, perhaps even as many as 70%, with bipolar can take anti-deps without any problem, others can take certain anti-deps with no problem.

              Celxa, effexor cipralex and other ssri's are no more prone to causing rapid cycling than any other anti-dep

              However if rapid cycling becomes a problem, ssri's are not usually a good choice, not because they promote rapid cycling any more than other anti-deps, but because of the very real possiblity of discontinuation syndrome. Once again not all people will suffer discontinuation syndrome.

              Discontinuation syndrome can be nasty all by itself and for anybody who is suffering from rapid cycling at the same time it can be a nightmare. Crazy Meds has a good article on this. www.crazymeds.us

              I apologize if any thought I was saying their drug regime was wrong, that was not my intention. Take Care. paul m
              "Alone we can do so little;
              Together we can do so much"
              Helen Keller

              Comment


                #8
                Thanks for the added information Paul. I was on Cipralex once, with Lamictal and Zyprexa on board. I ended up in a mixed manic state, certified, and all the rest of it. No time for tapering in that instance. I didn't have a problem stopping it without tapering.... or should I say, way too many other problems to notice.
                AJ

                Humans punish themselves endlessly
                for not being what they believe they should be.
                -Don Miguel Ruiz-

                Comment


                  #9
                  Froggie - did you start Wellbutrin? I am consider changing from Zoloft (400mg daily) to Wellbutrin and would appreciate to hear anything from you if you have gone to Wellbutrin.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I am on wellbutrin now after years on either paxil and or effexor along with seroquil. The seroquil I am told is a dopamine antagonist and this was apparently exacerbating some low grade ADD I have been having sporadically. However it was no problem sleeping and but I was continuously exhausted. I have been most of my life. After I switched to wellbutrin I no longer feel tired and can work somewhat. Before I was on and off and there were weeks when all I could do was sleep. When they tried to treat me for ADD using concerta, it did not work out too well due to nausea so I asked for some wellbutrin which seemed to be prescribed by some doctors if you have combined depression and add. I also have to take sleeping medications so take zopiclone for that. I feel pretty good now and am not so tired during the day. Also I found I do not need as much welbutrin. I guess you have to find the right combo for yourself. but that could take some time.
                    To the world you may be one person...but to one person you are the world.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Hello Danming and welcome. Thx for your post. I hope that you will continue to post. Take Care. paul m
                      "Alone we can do so little;
                      Together we can do so much"
                      Helen Keller

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Hi Danming and welcome to the forum.

                        I've heard good things about Wellbutrin and also that it is pretty good for people that have mood swings - it causes fewer mood swings than other ADs.

                        One other thing you may want to check about is the slow release tablets because, from what I heard, there are less of a chance of side effects.

                        Of course this scuttle butt doesn't trump what your pdoc has to say, it is just what I've heard from others.

                        I'm not a doctor but I play one on TV.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Welcome to the forums Danming.
                          AJ

                          Humans punish themselves endlessly
                          for not being what they believe they should be.
                          -Don Miguel Ruiz-

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I've been on Wellbutrin for about 5 years, initially added to augment my Effexor. I now wonder if my fatigue back then was a side effect of the Effexor, rather than a sign of untreated depression. The Wellbutrin did help then, but then I required Imovane for sleep.

                            I'm currently on Wellbutrin and Remeron. I am trying to wean off them to see if that will get rid of my tinnitus (ringing in ears), brain fog, fatigue, and migraines.

                            Anyone have experience discontinuing Wellbutrin???

                            I'm going gradually by switching to the SR formulation and cutting them. (I found a manufacturer' study showing that cut SRs still behave like SRs except for a peak at about 15 minutes. You shouldn't do this with the XL formulation.) This is day 3 of being on about 60 mg BID and I'm a bit achey. I'm scared that I'll get the vertigo that I had when tapering off Effexor.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Hi AnneT. I would recommend talking to your pharmacist about the best way to taper off your medication. They'll probably tell you to do one drug at a time (maybe that's how you're already doing it). Splitting the Wellbutrin SR as you say will release the drug very quickly, and because you get a high dose of the drug in your system at once, the blood level will be higher. This would mean a greater potential for side effects, and the concentration of the drug will drop to very low levels as the day progresses. (Perhaps you know all this, sounds like you've been doing some research yourself which is a great idea).
                              AJ

                              Humans punish themselves endlessly
                              for not being what they believe they should be.
                              -Don Miguel Ruiz-

                              Comment

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